Customer Reviews

Vlad

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is not another book about Vampires (be they teeneagers or the plain old un-dead) but about Dracula, the real person. Although I already knew some things about the real Dracula, this book was still adding new information and a very entertaining read.
The volume of more than 600 pages might seem a bit large but due the story and the style it never got boring. As the author himself says, it is not all based on 100% proven facts. The character of Dracula is still very cerdible and one can follow (to the most part) why he did what he did.
After finishing it I want to find out more about Dracula and his times and might thus follow some of the author's recommended readings.

The author faced a daunting task in writing about a leader, that few--if any--outside Romania admire. In true journalistic fashion, Mr. Humphreys neither demonized, nor praised Dracula's actions. The land Dracula ruled, Wallachia, was sandwiched between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Wallachian boyars were, therefore, adept at Machiavellian politics long before The Prince was even written.

Under these conditions, the "Son of the Devil" decided the best way to ensure the survival of his kingdom was to be crueler and more terrifying than his enemies. He certainly achieved his goal, even from beyond the grave.

In Vlad the Last Confession, Mr. Humphreys utilized his talents as an actor to unearth the plausible motivations of the dreaded "Impaler Lord." The author neatly ties all the historical facts with this conjectured psych profile to weave a story, not only of torture, terror and betrayal, but also of forgivness, love and small triumphs.

I admit I am a fan of C C Humphreys and I've read all of the Jack Absolute series, which I have enjoyed immensely. But Vlad tops them all by a long shot.

Why?

Because somehow Humphreys manages to turn a monster into a human being in a way that is both entertaining and believable.

A real page turner, filled with detail (don't try this at home kids) and even a fabulous love story.

Buy it, read it!

Go on, don't just sit there!

While i am a bit of a sucker for all things Dracula, pardon the pun, i am more interested in the man and not the Myth. Having read a number of books around the Man, Vlad the Impaler, they always paint a grim picture of a creature more monster than man.

The last confession, while not changing what he did or how he did it, does give an interesting account of the how and why he became the man known as the Impaler.

Great read, great mix of fact and fiction. Well worth the time and the money spent on this book. Just wish the Kindle version were available in my part of the world. Looking forward to the next book by the same Author

Really enjoyed this one and am not a great historical fiction reader. Excellent writing, historically accurate. A really good read....just do not eat anything greasy first.

I read and enjoyed Vlad, from the very first page till the last. It is a great work by C.C. Humphreys, it is the first book that I read from him but it certainly will not be the last. The life of the real Dracula beats the hell out of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Count Dracula will shiver in the presence of Vlad Dracula. Great narrative, good character development, nice prose and lot's of action, this could be a great movie, seriously.

Is CC Humphreys the best historical novelist writing these days?
I am really beginning to believe that he is. This novel is as exciting as any adventure you are likely to read this year but at the same time, it gives a detailed glimpse into a period of history we don't really know enough about - the Ottoman Empire and its ongoing world war with Europe between the 14th and 18th centuries. By putting flesh on the mythic figure of Vlad Drakul, inhabiter of so many of our youthful nightmares, Humphreys has brought to life one of the most fascinating individuals in human history. The battle between Vlad and Prince Mehmet, the future conqueror of Constantinople is particularly well drawn.
Like all his novels, this book is thrilling, sexy and very well written. Humphrey's method of telling his often blood curdling tale through his characters' experience works particularly well here. As always, his action scenes are spectacularly presented. From his first novel, the superb French Executioner, up to this latest opus, Humphreys mastery of historical fiction just continues to grow.
Prepare for sleepless nights as it is near impossible to put Vlad down once you read page 1.

Good story, well written and researched. I didn't like the cover and binding with no dust cover.
M. LaPointe

Ok, so I am going to be perfectly honest. I did not finish this book. And not for any obvious reasons either- the writing was poetic in a sense, the humour adequate and the characters well-rounded in the part that I managed to read. Perhaps I shall have an epiphany whilst writing this review as to the reasons why I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. Perhaps I will find that I want to finish the book, in which case I shall update my review accordingly.

Vlad is the story of Dracula, not the myth, but the man. It follows Vlad from a childhood in which he is a hostage to adulthood when he becomes the leader of his 'faith' which in turn leads to his ultimate demise. Told from third person after the events have taken place, this story tries to present this historical figure in a humane light by piecing together the facts of his life with custom and ideology of the time in which he lived. The reader is introduced to a host of characters; his former friends and allies, including the man who betrayed him in his darkest hour. These characters each present a unique view as to the man behind the myth- his best friend describes their childhood whilst his former mistress presents the more immediate history.

I cannot say much further in terms of plot development and characterisation as I did not make it much past the fifth chapter of the book before setting it down. Having said that though, the characters were all three dimensional and individuals, with none conforming to traditional stereotypes enforced by most authors of historical fiction. The plot was well developed and believable, and progressed at an even pace. The descriptions were exquisite in detail and added to the overall story, rather than hindering it. So why did I put this book down?

On reflection, it may be that this is not the sort of book I would normally read. Yes it is historical fiction, and yes it is well written, but I didn't identify or relate to any of the characters enough as I tend to do, or want to do, to be able to proceed further. The language is, like I said poetic, but in my opinion more suited to a piece of literature than a work of historical fiction and honestly just annoyed me before I could get hooked enough to overlook it. At the same time, it could just be that I was not in the right emotional frame of mind to understand and appreciate the depth of this novel.

I admit I picked this book up on a whim, drawn to the idea of a well written story about the legendary Dracula, a man with whom I know very little about, yet as much as I wanted to enjoy this book, I just couldn't. During the short amount of time this book stayed on my dresser, nothing majorly eventful happened. The characters were simply being interrogated as to the 'real' Dracula and their relatioships etc. and before long I found myself pondering different ways in which these characters could be 'extinguished'. This, I might add, entertained me far more than the story itself.

Overall, I am giving this book three stars. It is a well written book and one I will go back to in the coming months. I am sure that the story itself improves quite quickly as it has received some good reviews in our newspapers, but when I read it though, my attention span was not long enough to accomodate such an indepth book that requires your absolute attention. The main point I disliked about this book was the fact that I didn't relate to any of the characters- not that that is a neccessity, but if I am reading a book I do tend to want to like the main character...or any character for that matter. I hope to go back to this book in a few months, and as before, I will update my review should I complete the book. No epiphany yet.

3 stars.